Wolf Thing
by r2roswell
Summary: (Renesmee grows normally). It's been a year and Charlie has finally had it with all of the need to know excuse. What happens when he confronts Jacob about it?


author's note: I was never a fan of Renesmee's rapid aging so for my story I aged her like a regular baby. Here she is only an infant but still with her touch ability.

* * *

 **It's a Wolf Thing**

Charlie watched as Jacob sat on the floor of the living room with his one year old granddaughter. The boy seemed so content holding the pretty baby in his arms. It had been a year since Renesmee was born and Charlie could not recall a time when Jacob wasn't with her. He seemed a lot more interested in her than he did anything else.

Leah and Seth were at the house too but Charlie had come to embrace them, especially since he and Sue were engaged. Werewolves for step-children, he hadn't imagined that but then he hadn't imagined the rest of it either. A daughter who had become something more than human, he still wasn't sure what and he didn't want to know and a granddaughter who was more special than any of them.

Jacob was a whole different story. Though Charlie was glad to have his best friend back in his life and his son along with him, no longer keeping him at arm's length, there were still some things that Charlie didn't know, and at the time hadn't wanted to know.

Jacob was clearly more than his daughter's part time babysitter. At one time Charlie had hoped Jacob would be the one for Bella but Jacob no longer looked at Bella that way, despite the fact that she was a married woman. It seemed that for so long Jacob had been fighting Bella's relationship to Edward but that seemed to be over and Charlie couldn't help but associate Jacob's change with Renesmee. She was special to be sure but could such an appeal affect a grown man so much? Charlie wasn't sure and he was tired of living with the questions.

"Jacob, a word," Charlie said to him not even phrasing it into a question so as to not give the boy a choice.

Jacob looked up at Charlie, "Um, yeah sure," Jacob replied.

Renesmee placed a hand on Jacob's cheek, no doubt showing her what were considered thoughts.

Jacob looked at her, "I don't know, guess I'm about to find out…what kind of question is that, of course I'll be back. I'm just going to step out for a minute or two…yes I'll read that story to you when I return."

Jacob leaned in and placed a kiss on Renesmee's forehead and then stood up, carefully with the baby in his arms.

"Seth, do you mind," he asked.

Seth smiled, "Finally, she's my niece too and yet you still hog her like she's yours."

Both Jacob and Renesmee gave him a look and once Renesmee was in Seth's arms she touched him.

"Yeah, yeah," said Seth, "I know he's yours but can't an uncle enjoy some time with his niece?" Renesmee smiled so Seth was satisfied with her non communicative response.

Charlie shot his fiancé a glance before heading outside. She had a pretty good idea about what was going to transpire as Charlie had talked about it the night before. It wasn't her place to say anything so she had been the one to encourage him to talk to Jacob for the answers he was looking for.

* * *

Jacob followed Charlie out. They walked a little into the woods near the house, the same woods where Jacob has revealed the truth about himself. A moment that Charlie would never forget for as long as he lived.

"So what's going on," Jacob asked.

"You tell me," said Charlie.

"Tell you what?"

"Damn it Jake, I wanna know what's going on with you and my granddaughter."

"There's nothing-," Jacob said taking a step toward Charlie but he held out a hand indicating him to stop.

"You think I don't know what's going on? I see the way you look at her."

Charlie's words stopped Jacob cold where he was standing. All this time he hadn't even considered what it must be like for Charlie. Sure the man knew the truth: that he and the others were werewolves, he had heard the histories and been to some counsel meetings but there were some things that were too wolf for him to know.

It was that other wolf secret that usually kept Quil on the Reservation and when they were out in public, Quil would keep a safe distance or was with Claire's mom or Sam and Emily. To the outside world Quil's relation to Claire could not be understood. For a year Charlie had been part of that outside world. His choice, not wanting to know the details when it came to much of the werewolf stuff and Jacob was fine with it but slowly, maybe on some level without even realizing it, he had come to let his guard down around Charlie so Jacob shouldn't have been surprised that he was starting to notice.

"It's not what you think, Charlie, I promise."

"Not what I think? It sure as hell doesn't look that way."

"I know, believe me, I do. I've seen it."

"How?"

Jacob took a breath. Once again he'd let his guard down so he took a step back. "It's a wolf thing, that and what your perception is in regards to Nessie."

"I'm tired of the wolf excuses Jacob. She's my granddaughter and Bella is my daughter. With you and your pack of dogs hanging out around my family, I deserve to know why."

Jacob wanted to mention the fact that Charlie was now about to inherit wolves for step-kids but he stayed silent on that front, not wanting to give him anymore reason to be upset so he opted for a different angle.

"Fair enough. The reason I know is because the look you're giving me now is the same look people often give Quil. We can see and hear each other's thoughts so I've seen the look in strangers faces when they see the way Quil acts with Claire. If you'd see Quil around you'd know what I was talking about. He's my boy but he's also Claire's. The same way Renesmee is mine."

"You lost me."

"This wolf thing…" Jacob said as he struggled to find the right words. "The way I feel about Renesmee… it's kind of hard to explain, in fact one of the hardest things as wolves but it's also the most pure. It's called imprinting, something that's part of our genetic material that we can't control. When we see her, we instinctively know that she's the one. There can be no one else, not ever. You give her what she needs. If she wants a big brother, you become a big brother. If she wants a dog, you become a dog."

Jacob let that one sink in for Charlie. In the times that Jacob and the Cullen's had been out his house or vice versa, there had been times when Jacob was in his wolf form, Renesmee nearby of course. Charlie never understood why, when Seth and Leah were in human form, them often showing up in wolves themselves but Charlie had not known about the wolf communication at the time. Now that made sense.

"If she wants an uncle, you're an uncle." Jacob then took a breath and added, "If she wants a boyfriend or a fiancé or a husband, you become those."

Those final items on Jacob's list really took Charlie by surprise.

"So it's not just you and Quil who have gone through this, it's all of you? Sam, Paul, Jared."

"Well," said Jacob, "about half of us. Seth, Leah, Embry, Colin and Brady haven't had our experience. We don't exactly know why it happens to some and not to others."

"So the whole Sam and Leah fiasco that I'd been hearing about…"

"Yeah that kind of got bad. Sam loved Leah but biology told him differently. It's not something we can control."

"But Sam and Emily are happy, you all are. That doesn't bother you, that you don't have a choice?"

Jacob smiled, "No. Why go through all of that time searching for the one when the universe has all ready done it for you?

Charlie placed his hands in his pockets, "Sure I guess but I still don't understand your connection to Renesmee or Quil's connection to a toddler for that matter."

Jacob nodded. Charlie's concern was understandable. Before Quil had imprinted on Claire there had been a legends that spoke of a wolves imprinting on an infants and toddlers but they had all brushed it off as something that couldn't be true until Quil experienced it.

And even then with so many of his brothers imprinting, Jacob had a distain for his genetics. It was bad enough to be a wolf but to not have a choice and to have tried to force that choice with Bella, made him hate the concept of imprinting even more until he had gone through it himself. He had never truly known what it was like despite hearing and seeing it via his brother's thoughts. And now couldn't imagine a life more perfect, couldn't imagine a life without Renesmee in it. She was everything to him.

"We don't either," Jacob admitted. "We haven't been able to explain why it happens with kids, or babies for that matter. Charlie, I know on the outside it seems strange to you but I don't see Renesmee as anything more than what she is- a baby. I don't even think about what may happen down the line if that makes you feel better."

Charlie cringed at that thought.

"My point is," said Jacob, "I'm just her uncle and occasionally her pet dog and as long as she's happy and safe, that's all I care about."

"So strictly platonic then?" Charlie asked.

"Yes very. If it wasn't Edward and Bella would have both killed me by now."

"I guess you're right about that."

"Do me a favor though Jacob, never hurt my little girl. I may be human so I might not be able to do much but I'm still a cop and I've still got my gun."

Jacob laughed a little though the thought of being shot by Charlie did stop him and most likely Charlie would keep shooting. That would be painful to overcome.

"Never," Jacob said to him. "Renesmee's your family, I get that but she's also part of mine so I hope you can at least understand that."

Charlie nodded, "I do now. I still don't feel comfortable with all of this wolf business but thanks for explaining it to me. I needed to finally know."

"I know you did. And Charlie, you can always ask me anything. No question is off limits."

"I'll keep that in mind." The two remained silent for a moment. "Well, guess we should get inside. Nessie's probably missing you or something. You coming?"

"I'll be there in a minute," Jacob replied.

* * *

Once Charlie was safely inside Jacob called out, "Alright, how much did you hear?"

Edward and Bella appeared down from the trees.

Edward smiled. "Pretty much from the time the idea came into Charlie's thoughts."

"Just how far does your mind reader trick work anyways," Jacob asked.

"About as far as it does with you and your pack," Edward replied.

Jacob nodded. So pretty far he gathered. Jacob remembered that time he had been up in Canada after getting Bella's wedding invitation and even while up there in wolf form he could still hear his family whenever they were wolves.

"So you just wanted to watch me squirm then is that it," he asked since they clearly had not come to his defense.

Bella smiled, "Pretty much." Jacob just shook his head and held back his laugh. "Seriously though Jacob, you did good. Even I was a bit impressed."

"Well if it makes you feel any better, Charlie did threaten to shoot me."

"How would that make me feel better," said Bella, "As much as I would enjoy it, watching you get shot would only hurt Renesmee. I think we can all agree we wouldn't want that."

Edward and Jacob both nodded.

"So we're good then," asked Jacob, "You guys are okay as far as what I told him? I know I should have probably gone to you guys about it first but he caught me off guard."

"Since when have you needed to ask permission," Bella said as she remembered the time when Jacob went directly to Charlie and spilled the lid on what had been her secret as well as his when they had planned to leave Forks.

Jacob nodded, "Fair enough but in my defense it was the right thing to do. It worked out for all of us and I haven't done anything irresponsible since then."

Edward placed a hand on Jacob's shoulder. "We're good Jacob. I would tell you if we weren't." Edward took Bella's hand, "Let's go pick up our daughter."

The couple strolled along past Jacob.

"You coming," Bella asked as she looked back to her best friend.

He smiled and followed the pair inside where their special girl awaited.

* * *

 **END.**


End file.
